Happy first day of July!

We’re making a few changes to our blogging schedule, so for our last Friday Links we’ve rounded up a mega-list of some of the best resources we’ve shared over the last few months. From now on, we’ll be posting a long-format entry every Wednesday. With topics ranging from design and marketing to tips and tricks, each post will be an in-depth look at a different topic each week.

So, without further adieu, here’s our final Friday Links:

Design Links

One | 10 Commandments of graphic design  

Two | Introductory guide to choosing fonts

Three | How to utilize an inspiration board to design a consistent brand

Four | 15 Type Designers to keep an eye on

Five | An interview with Michael Bierut, Designer at Pentagram

Social Media Links

One | How to be social online (for the naturally unsocial)

Two | 10 Years of Twitter: Tweets that broke the Internet

Three |Essential LinkedIn Stats: When, how, and what to post

Four | 5 Habits of Successful Social Media Experts

Five | 9 Tips to create a cohesive, branded Instagram feed

Branding/ Marketing Links

One | The basics of marketing your blog or website

Two | Working with email marketing automation

Three | 12 Simple strategies the big brands use to leave a lasting impression

Four | Stand out on Pinterest as a small business

Five | More branding basics for small businesses

Miscellaneous Links

One | Website color schemes: The palettes of 50 visually impactful websites to inspire you

Two | The 6 best tools for creative work, according to science

Three | Free hand-lettering practice worksheets

Four | Why you should use Squarespace

Five | The best of Greensboro

We hope you’ve enjoyed this last Friday link post… but now it’s time to get excited for the future! We’ll be back on Wednesday with a list of SEO dos + don’ts that you don’t need a web developer to execute.

Going to miss our Friday Links series? No need to worry, we’ll be sharing more valuable resources than ever on our social media. Follow us here:

I don’t know about you guys, but we love infographics -- they’re a great way to snag someone’s interest on social media and quickly communicate information. We’ve compiled 5 of our favorite infographics for you to effortlessly glean some new statistics from!  

One  |  At the beginning of the year, there was no end to the predictions being made about where 2016 would take design. See if they’re coming true with this infographic that predicts 8 design trends for 2016.

Two  |  When we say social media is a big deal, we mean like really big... literally. With 320 million users Twitter’s user base is almost as big as the population of the United States. Don’t believe us? Here’s more on social media’s active monthly users for this year.

Three  |  Did you know that the average user spends 20 minutes per visit on Facebook? Leverage these statistics to plan even better social content.

Four  |  The perfect filter can take a picture from good to great! Have you ever found your thumb hovering over two filters, wondering what other people would pick? Well, Canva’s mapped out the most popular filters from around the world. Can you guess what North Carolina’s most popular filter is?

Five  |  If you don’t read any of the other links today, be sure to read this one. If you want to be a successful social media manager all of the tips are a must!

We’ll be back on Tuesday with a coloring page. If you’re looking for some weekend enrichment, we suggest listening to The Ezra Klein Show or checking out one of our favorite places in Greensboro.

That’s all for today, have a great one!

This week we couldn’t decide on just one topic, so we have a little bit of everything -- from taking pictures to social media facts and standing out -- we’ve got something for everyone this week.

One | Taking pictures with your smartphone can be a pain (trust us, we know!), but these 17 tips and tricks will help you take better iPhone pictures. It’s amazing the results you can get with just a few simple tricks!

Two | Did you know that your biggest advocate on Twitter is most likely someone with a low number of followers? This is just one of the 10 most surprising social media facts. 

Three | “Look around you right now, I guarantee you can see at least one brand mark somewhere.” Ever wonder how big brands leave a lasting impression? Creating a brand that is consistent and thoughtfully executed will leave a lifetime mark. Here are 12 simple strategies all memorable brands use.

Four | Over the course of the day, almost 5 million pins are shared on Pinterest! So... now you’re probably wondering “How can I stand out and make sure people are seeing my pins?” Implement these 4 simple tweaks to help stand out.

Five | If you checked out our post earlier this week, you know we talked about GSO inspiration. And, we couldn’t resist adding one more local business to our list! Vivid Interiors (located Downtown) has been sharing some of their favorite Hygge and West wallpapers on their blog. Not only would they look great in your home or office, but these snapshots also make cute iPhone wallpapers!

If you’re in Greensboro this weekend, check out the 100 for 100 art sale or National Trails Day. See you on the blog Tuesday!

Branding is so much more than visual -- it's what people associate with you when they hear your businesses name. You want your brand to give an accurate sense of who you are and what you offer. Today, we've got a few links on how to push your brand to the next level, an inspiring interview on transforming your idea into a brand, and how to boost your reach using Snapchat. 

One | Been building your brand for years, but now sure what to do next? Assess where your brand is at, then check out these 50 ways to give it a boost.

Two | In this digital age, we can’t emphasize the importance of social media enough! Follow these three steps to help embrace social media as an integral part of your business operations.

Three | Have you seen the cool geofilters Snapchat recently released? Did you know that you can make them for your business? With a low cost buy-in and millions of users, it’s a great way to advertise. This step-by-step guide goes in-depth and shows you how to make a filter.

Four | A creative profile + cover photo can make a big impression on a business page. Check out this showcase of big brands cover photos to get ideas for your own page!

Five | “Do one thing extremely well. Refine the process. Do it again.” That's Michael Luscher's advice on forming a big brand. Learn more about how he turned his one big idea into one big brand.

Always keep in mind that your vision + your voice + your visuals = your brand! Enjoy this long weekend :)

We’ve mentioned our love of Pinterest before -- we even rounded up 10 of our favorite inspiration boards. This week, we’re back with a link round-up of a few must follow Pinners. We promise we’ll break this obsession soon… well, sooner or later.

One | The Creative Market: our favorite digital design marketplace, The Creative Market’s 'Infographics' board is a creative hodgepodge of all things information design.

Two | Rebecca Finn: Rebecca’s obvious passion for graphic design and art makes her Pinterest one of our favorites. For a wide variety of creative typography and out of the box lettering ideas, check out her ‘Typography’ board.

Three | Design Quixotic: a finalist at the Shorty Awards for best Best Pinner, how could we not love her boars? 'Logos, Marks, and Icons' is our personal favorite, but with 77 boards to follow there’s bound to be a little something for everyone.

Four | Constant Contact: This well-known email marketing company knows their stuff -- their 'Marketing, Stats, and Facts' board is a potpourri of what appears to be pretty much every infographic ever made on digital marketing.

Five | Joy Cho:  a lifestyle blogger with an eye for design, Joy Cho’s boards span a variety of interests from food and fashion to patterns and type. Her 'Pattern' board embodies our taste perfectly!

There’s so many inspiring pinners out there, we know we can’t cover them all. Who did we miss? Who’s your favorite pinner?

This week we’re focusing on new personal stories, new updates, new designs, and new strategies. It’s always good to start fresh and rethink, redesign and renew our minds especially with the new season coming up in a little over a month.

One  |  If you’re a part of the design world (or even if you’re not) you’ve probably heard of Canva. Have you ever wondered how it all started? Melanie Perkins, (CEO + Co-Founder of Canva) discusses her entrepreneurial journey and the inspiration behind Canva.

Two  |  Feel like your logo designs just aren’t cutting it? Here are 8 ways to push your designs further and take your process to the next level.

Three  | How often do you run data on your social media accounts? Your analytics are key to understanding what is working and what’s not. Here are 10 experiments you can run yourself to find out more about your analytics.

Four | Nadia Hassan, a pattern designer located right here in GSO, says: “Designing is what makes me feel like I’m growing and learning. It’s not something that happens overnight. It does involve a lot of sacrifice.” More on her ‘Made In Greensboro’ story here.

Five | Instagram came out with a new look this week (and caused the Internet to freak out). The new update puts more focus on photos and videos without changing how you navigate the app. Hear from the Insta team themselves as to why + how they updated the app. What are your thoughts?

Change can be good or bad, but you’ll never know until you try! We’re hoping you’ve learned something new and are open to trying something new for your business. Until next week, have a great weekend!

Happy Friday, and welcome to our first Friday Links of May! This week we’re focusing on a little bit of everything -- from Mother’s Day to design tips.

One  |  What does your brand’s color say about your business? Color can affect mood, perception, and buy-in. Review this break down of color psychology before settling on a final signature color for your logo!

Two  |  Did you know this week is National Small Business Week? If you’ve ever wondered what is takes to be a small business owner here’s an infographic that breaks it all down.

Three  |  “Thou shall always stick to thy deadlines” = our favorite of these 10 commandments of graphic design.

Four  |  Looking to take your designs to the next level? Here are 50 visual tips + examples that will help you fine tune your designs to convey exactly the message you want (perfect for social media managers).

Five  |  Crafting a message or graphic for Mother’s Day?  Here are 6 creative Mother’s Day Ads for inspiration!

Stay tuned for next week’s blog all about social media platforms. Have a great weekend!

This Friday we’ve rounded up some useful tips and advice from our favorite #girlbosses.

One  |  Starting off with the queen #girlboss herself! Sophia Amoruso shares her secrets to success.

Two  |  Are you looking to find your passion, find your main motivation, and perfect your personal brand? Here are 10 books must haves on your bookshelves from creative girl bosses.

Three  |  For all your being a boss inspiration, check out Ashley Howard’s Girl Boss Motivation Pinterest board.

Four  |  If you want to be a boss, you have to work like one! We are loving Courtney Whitmore’s home office.

Five  |  Just in case you forgot :)

Tag your favorite #girlboss in the comments!

Friday links to keep you inspired for the weekend and the week to come!

One  |  Do you ever feel in a creativity slump? Check out these tips to destress, and get back to bursting with ideas for your work!

Two  |  Want to know more about different resources to create a better blog? Here are 15 resources to help your improve your website or the design of your blog.

Three  |  Make a statement on your blog with a statement graphics! Look at these tips to make an eye catching design!

Four  |  Think you're ready to try your hand at creating your own logo? With the help of these guidelines you can push your new logo to the next level. (Not so design savvy? This is also a great resource to help you develop some sketches for a designer.)

Five  |  Easter is right around the corner! If you’re needing a little inspiration for social media posts, check out these social media campaigns to stay festive during the holiday.  

As always, have a great weekend, and see you next Friday for another link roundup!

To round out this week, we’re rounding up the best of the links we’ve shared over the last few months. These are just all around, generally good resources that we couldn’t help but share a second time!

One  |  Good, free fonts can be hard to find. This list of 60 free minimalist fonts highlights a handful of unique + clean + modern finds -- ones that you won’t see on more basic free font lists. 

Two  |   Typewolf is one of the best sources for everything typography + fonts. With carefully curated lists and resources, you’ll find everything from unique ‘top 10’ lists to font profiles (complete with mixing & match suggestions).

Three  |  No matter what your goals, these eight inspirational TED Talks are a must watch.

Four  |  This is a great roundup on apps to boost your productivity as a freelancer. We'll definitely be trying a few of these.

Five  |  Death to the Stock Photo is one of the first sources people mention for cheap + not-tacky + actually useful stock photos. We see it mentioned constantly, and have even highlighted it a couples of times ourself -- but Death to Stock has come in handy so many times this week that we want to give them another shout out.

Six  |  The Hue & Tone website runs on Squarespace, and I'm a huge fan. Here's a good summary of the reasons why.

Seven  |   It’s easy to fall into a rut and start using the same colors -- so when you need a little inspiration check out these 50 creative color schemes.

Which of the links we’ve shared over the past few months have you found the most helpful?

*See all of our link roundups here, or check out our personal favorite -- our Greensboro link roundup -- here.*

Hi friends, and happy Friday! It's been a fun week full of some new opportunities here at Hue & Tone, and now I'm wrapping things up before heading out to enjoy this weekend's (hopefully) beautiful weather! If, like me, you haven't quite reached the finish line of the work week, here are a few links to push you through.

One | Type design is one of the most demanding (and fascinating) disciplines in the creative world. Here's a roundup of type designers to watch out for in 2016. 

Two | For something light, here's a hilarious infographic from the Creative Market blog: how to live like a creative.

Three | Looking for more regular reading material? Check out a few of the 80 best Tumblr blogs for designers. 

Four | This is great from the first line: "I’d love to have a toolkit that promised me great, creative ideas every time I sat down to work. Obviously that’s not going to happen—creativity doesn’t come from tools."

Five | Don't forget to check out our free adult coloring page! It's perfect for some weekend relaxation. 

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend! We'll be back next week on the blog.

Another Friday, another link roundup! Here's a few things that came in handy at Hue & Tone this week: 

One  |  Looking for a last minute Valentine's Day card? Use these four free printables to design your own! The ombre XOXO print is our personal favorite.

Two  |  Typewolf is one of the best sources for everything typography + fonts. With carefully curated lists and resources, you’ll find everything from unique ‘top 10’ lists to font profiles (complete with mixing & match suggestions).

Three  |  Last week, we went in depth on our love of textures. If you’re looking for some textures to play around with in your designs check out this free sample pack.

Four  |  No matter what your goals, these eight inspirational TED Talks are a must watch.

Five  |  This week's mood board was one of our favorites! We've been reminding ourselves all week that there's no single answer to a design problem. 

We'll be back Tuesday with a fun, interactive freebie! 

No reason to delay, here's our Friday links!

One  |  It’s easy to fall into a rut and start using the same colors -- so when you need a little inspiration check out these 50 creative color schemes.

Two  | Glitter has been trending for months -- if you want to get in on the trend without going through the trouble of photoshopping your own glitter, these free textures are perfect for you.

Three  |  We’re big fans of Evernote and use it to organize all of our meeting notes, screenshots of inspiration pieces, and even emails. If you’re looking to become a paperless operation, or just want to keep your desk tidy, check out how another Evernote power user maximizes the app to stay organized.

Four  |  Automated emails are a great and easy way to communicate consistently with your customers and clients. Get started with MailChimp or see if the email marketing service you already use has an automation option!

Five  |  This one isn't actually a link, but we couldn't wait to show off our new business cards + postcards + stickers! We used Moo for the printing and are obsessed with their Printfinity option!  

Want us to send you some of our new stickers? Shoot us your mailing address and we'd be happy to send you a handful! 

We’re tempted to say it’s been a busy week around the office… but aren’t they all busy? Without further adieu, here's our round-up of Friday links. 
 

One  |  We love our office and wouldn’t want to have our business anywhere else… but full disclosure, we’re drooling over these shots of Code and Theory’s new office. Maybe it has something to do with our Andy Warhol obsession?

Two  |  This list of 10 ways to brainstorm new ideas comes in handy -- when you do creative work all day you’re bound to run out of steam every now and then. Our go-to method when we need to brainstorm is to take nothing but a blank legal pad (no phone) to our favorite coffee shop, set a timer for 30 minutes and see what we can come up with! 

Three  |  Death to the Stock Photo is one of the first sources people mention for cheap + not-tacky + actually useful stock photos. We see it mentioned constantly, and have even highlighted it a couples of times ourself -- but Death to Stock has come in handy so many times this week that we want to give them another shout out.  

Four  |  While doing research for the latest e-Book cover project, we ran across this custom Book Illustration Competition -- and now we’re stoked to see the submissions/winners.

Hello, Friday! I'm currently in the office wrapping things up for the week...which usually means scheduling social posts, wrapping up larger projects and a few last client phone calls and meetings. I won't say I never work on the weekends (if I said that, it wouldn't be true) but I do try to reserve some weekend time for recharging. 

As another weekend begins, here are a few links I've been loving this week...

Hue & Tone: Links to end the week part two

One | I've mentioned this before, but I'm really interested in creativity and how it works when you need to be creative on a regular basis -- not just after sparks of inspiration. I loved this article explaining how Pixar fosters creativity and good ideas among its staff. 

Two | There's a lot of great advice out there to help you harness social media for your business...there's also a lot of really bad advice, something this article sums up well. (You REALLY don't need an account on every platform. Or a post with 15 hashtags.) 

Three | This is a great roundup on apps to boost your productivity as a freelancer. We'll definitely be trying a few of these.

Four | Finding the best creative solution to a problem definitely requires a lot of brainstorming. If that's not something you're used to, this is a good way to get started. 

Five | You need a brand, not just a logo. Here's why.

Wishing you all an excellent weekend! We'll be back here on the blog next week. 

Hello and happy Friday! It's been a crazy week here at the Hue & Tone offices...but I'm winding down and getting ready for a (hopefully) relaxing weekend. 

Before I say goodbye for the week, here are a few things I've been reading/viewing/loving lately...

One | When I'm designing resumes, the most frequent feedback I give is to make cuts! This post offers some good advice on what to keep and what to cut from your resume.

Two | This gorgeous video makes me proud (as always) to call Greensboro home (and home to my business). 

Three | Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray Love fame) shares eleven ways to think intelligently about creativity in this great TED talk.

Four | You may have noticed that our posting schedule has changed substantially since we started this blog. And that's okay. 

Five | Ever wondered what makes some social posts take off, while some sink? Here's a nice overview from one of our favorite social media scheduling tools, Buffer.

What are your weekend plans? Do you have any great links to share? Let me know in the comments below.